Christopher Broderick (born March 6, 1970 in Lakewood, Colorado, USA) is the 7 string lead and rhythm guitarist for the popular American heavy metal band Megadeth. He currently resides in Sherman Oaks, California. Formerly the lead guitarist and keyboardist for Jag Panzer, he appeared on the last four Jag Panzer albums The Age of Mastery, Thane to the Throne (a concept album about Shakespeare's Macbeth), Mechanized Warfare and Casting the Stones before moving on to Megadeth, replacing Glen Drover. Before joining Megadeth and while still in Jag Panzer, he was also a touring guitarist for Nevermore between 2001 and 2003 and then again between 2006 and 2007.

Early years

Broderick started playing guitar when he was 11 years old. His playing styles range from metal, classical, neoclassical, and jazz. Broderick has been said to have practiced 14 hours a day during his summers as a teen. He practiced electric guitar, classical guitar, piano, and violin under a strict daily routine. He has said that at that time it seemed more like a "chore" than for entertainment. He was a standout player in the Denver music scene from 1988 on in bands Grey Haven, Industrial Eden (guitarist/lead vocalist) and Killing Time.

He also has a degree in classical guitar music performance at the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music.

Jag Panzer (1997-2008)

In 1997, guitarist Joey Tafolla left Jag Panzer for the second and final time, citing a lack of interest in playing heavy metal. For the band, this was a huge problem. Tafolla's guitar work was complex and technical, and as far as they knew few guitarists could comprehend it. This is when Chris was brought into the fold of Jag Panzer and stayed with them for almost a decade. He played on four of the band's albums. 1998's The Age of Mastery, 2000's Thane to the Throne (a concept album about William Shakespeare's play Macbeth), 2001's Mechanized Warfare, and 2004's Casting the Stones.

Nevermore (2001-2003, 2006-2007)

Many people have been confused as to whether or not Chris was actually a member of the heavy metal band Nevermore, but during the time period of 2000 - 2003 and some of 2004 he was only taking part in live shows. After the release of the album, This Godless Endeavor, he began once again to tour with Nevermore until his recent joining in with Megadeth.

Megadeth (2008-Present)

In late 2007, rumors had been circulating that Megadeth guitarist Glen Drover had left the band. This was proved to be true after statements released from both Glen and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine. The night after the statements were released, Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover brought up Chris as a possible replacement. Shawn then proceeded to show Dave a video of Chris playing both classical and electric guitar. Dave was immediately won over and soon managed to get in contact with Chris. Two weeks later, Broderick was officially declared the new guitarist for Megadeth. He made his live debut with the band on February 4, 2008 in Finland and toured with them on Gigantour 2008 and also recorded guitar parts on their 12th album Endgame. He has stated due to extensive touring with Megadeth he will no longer be able to collaborate with Jag Panzer and Nevermore. Dave Mustaine said that when he partnered up with Broderick, he said that it reminded him of when "Ozzy Osbourne met Randy Rhoads". On March 8, 2009, Dave commented that he thought Chris was the greatest guitarist Megadeth has ever had. In the current line up of the band, he is the youngest member in Megadeth.